


Spiders make Cleo go crazy

by MistyEyedCrow



Series: Misty's Complete Collection of One-shots [11]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Admin abuse, Help, LITERALLY, Mild Gore, Mild Horror, Time Loop, and all the hermits in the arena battle, cleo needs them heads, he's definitely fine, her crown glows like hatty hattington's from battle block theater!, mwahahah!, oh if you can't tell Xisuma is downstairs, oh no now i want to write something about battle block theater, spiders make cleo go crazy!, there's a lot of spiders btw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:41:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23806285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistyEyedCrow/pseuds/MistyEyedCrow
Summary: The head games were coming to a close. Teams across the server were racing to submit their heads, to emerge as the overall victors of the games. When Cleo extended an invitation to fight in an arena against her finest warriors, to win a thousand points per kill, naturally everyone said yes.If only they had read the fine print.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Misty's Complete Collection of One-shots [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996384
Comments: 12
Kudos: 77





	Spiders make Cleo go crazy

Hypno nervously shifted his stick in his hands, glancing around at his fellow hermits. They had just finished their group battles with Cleo's gladiators when Cleo had suggested they had a free for all battle. Naturally, the hermits had agreed with much enthusiasm, especially from Etho and Iskall who all but glared at each other across the arena, grumbling about some storage mishap.

The setting sun cast long shadows on the hermits, hiding them in the arena's dark embrace. For once, Bdubs was in no hurry to sleep, hands fisted and tensed as he stared down the hermits by Cleo's side, unmoving. Probably guarding the box with their communicators, ones Cleo insisted they put aside before the fight, though he still wasn't exactly sure why.

If he was being honest, the spreading darkness was concerning, easily hiding the hermit's bloodthirst and excitement. Hypno was in no way bad at PvP, but fighting in the arena was getting on his nerves. Something felt off about the whole fight. It didn't help that they were armourless, only given sticks to defend themselves with. Sticks that took too long to do any real damage.

Sticks that prolonged the pain.

Glancing around at his fellow hermits, noting their excited smiles, he tried his best to calm himself down. He was just thinking too much, surely, it was just a friendly murderous game between friends. There was no real malice in the glint in their eyes. Plus, they would all respawn at the end, congratulating the victor. There was nothing to worry about.

"Contenders are you ready?" Cleo grinned down at them, her gladiators now standing at attention by her side, matching puppet-like grins staring them down. Hypno held back a twinge of fear as the hermits roared their approval, echoing in the enclosed arena.

"Contestants...3, 2, 1, fight!" 

Hearing that, Hypno immediately turned to his right, faltering when he noticed Etho's wicked smirk. Backing away and throwing himself into the nearest battle, he felt his world spiral into tunnel vision, targeting any hermit that came into his path. Not even flinching when Jevin fell to his sword, when xB's stick fell to the ground as he disappeared into a pile of orbs. Til there was only him and Etho, eyes narrowed as they honed in on each other.

They ran forward and met in the middle of the arena, sticks clashing in a sickening crunch. His heart roared, blood pumping in his ears as he watched Etho's grin falter at the impact of his stick, taking a step back to dislodge his own stick. They picked up an almost intricate dance, meeting each other blow for blow, never letting the other rest. Hypno felt fatigue start to sink in his bones, knowing they were both evenly matched. Anyone of them could win. His vision starting blurring with sweat, focusing hard on Etho's every move. He wanted to win.

Then it happened. He watched, almost in slow motion, as Etho swung his stick too wide, his eyes widening as he realized his mistake.

That was all it took. 

Seizing the opportunity, Hypno, lunged forward, stick knocking Etho to the floor. Etho stared past him with wide eyes, doing nothing to soften the fall. His momentum carried him forward, following through into Etho's rapidly disappearing form, sticking heavily into the sandy ground.

He won.

Breathing heavily, he leaned on his right knee, bent over, and trying to catch his breath. Glancing around the arena, seeing his fellow hermit's heads lying on the ground, he couldn't help but feel a sick sense of satisfaction. He expected the hermits to start groaning for their losses or cheering for his victory. Expected them to walk out of the place they all set their spawn at, to end the madness that was this game of Cleo's.

Nothing.

A prickling sensation of being watched spread across his back as the alarming feeling of something being dreadfully wrong sparked in his chest. A sudden squeal of metal on metal jolted him from his kneeling position, whipping his head round to stare at the entrance to the arena. Watching in shock as a thick metal gate slid shut over the gateway, blocking his only way out. 

All at once, he was made too aware of the blinking red lights in the previously empty seats, painfully familiar and alarming. His eyes darted across the arena seats in a blind panic, his quick circle landing his eyes back on Cleo's throne. The throne itself was bathed in red, but this time it seemed to be alive, blinking and shifting around the old wood. Hypno watched in horror as the gladiator's eyes glowed red, watched as Bdubs, Ren, Stress, and Tango fell to their knees, bowing down to Cleo.

Cleo, who was staring at him with her head tilted to one side, a thoughtful look on her face. 

He could only watch, dumbfounded, as Cleo started to clap, slow but sure. The arena came alive around him, the hissing of spiders growing louder and louder as Cleo rose to her feet. He couldn't hold back a flinch from the echoing sounds. The gladiators now rose as well, looking down at him with emotionless eyes as they joined in the applause.

"Cleo? W-What's going on?" Hypno was almost afraid to ask, feeling unbalanced, like one wrong move would set off the spiders. At that moment, as Cleo threw her head back to cackle, he could not even recognize her as the hermit he knew from before. Everything about her demeanor screamed 'off'.

"Congratulations Hypno, you won the arena battle!" She giggled, jumping down into the arena herself. The gladiators followed neatly, forming two lines on her either side. The hissing was immediately silenced as she raised one hand, almost as if they were waiting for something, a signal. "I must say I'm quite impressed. I had hoped it would be Falsie, this time."

He did not even dare ask the obvious, eyeing Bdubs and Tango as they took matching steps forward. He took one back, but stopped, as the hissing rose from behind, causing him to flinch.

"Silence!" Cleo roared, before approaching him. Hypno stood his ground, mind racing as he tried to think of a way out, holding back any movements as Cleo trailed a sharp fingernail down his cheek. He felt something trickle down his cheek. "I do wonder... you make a good fighter."

He was distracted, realizing too late as his hands were forced behind his back. Struggling, he felt himself rendered immobile, locked in Tango and Bdub's grip. His heart lurched, all too aware that he was helpless, watching with wide eyes as Stress brought out a syringe of something green, walking towards him with no emotion in her eyes.

"W-Wait! What is that!" Hypno struggled even harder against his captors, trying desperately to dislodge their grip. He felt himself being forced to his knees, held down as Cleo delicately took the syringe from Stress, almost as if she was taking her time, relishing in his panic.

"We don't need you Ren." She spoke calmly, looking at Ren dead in the eye. Hypno could only watch with wide eyes as Ren nodded once, pulling out the battered wooden sword from his battles, broken in places with wood sticking out. Letting out a horrified whimper as Ren turned it around, driving it into his chest with no hesitation. The change was instant, the red in Ren's eyes fading to reveal the real him, scrabbling weakly at the buried sword. Unable to look away as he heard Ren gurgle, as he met his desperate stare, as Ren's body hit the ground with a thud and open, glassy eyes.

His hands tightened into fists.

"Your turn Hypno! Look at me!" Cleo spoke in a singsong voice, fingers curled around his chin. With his eyes averted, it would be easy to imagine that he wasn't here in this sick reality, that was was back in the past with Cleo his friend. Not with the twisted caricature of Cleo now. But then those fingers tightened, and his gaze was forced to meet hers, looking up at the Cleo who grinned down wickedly at him.

"Now this will only be a little pinch."

Seizing his chance, Hypno yanked his right arm out of Bdub's grip, bringing it around in a swing to knock the syringe out of Cleo's hand. He watched in satisfaction as the syringe shattered on the ground, glaring at Cleo even as Tango tackled him to the ground, cheek pressed painfully into the sandy ground. Cleo stunned for a moment, looking at him with approval in her eyes as she laughed. "Now now, Hypno, did you really think that would work?" She tutted, still smiling.

"Bdubs." She gestured Bdubs over, pulling out a silver knife. He watched, stomach swirling as she cut across his palm, the same green liquid trickling out into another syringe Stress brought over. The red in his eyes flickered black for a second. "Oh, Bdubs... I'll deal with you later."

Cleo squatted down by his head now, yanking his right arm in her vice-like grip. Her face bore no smile now, her eyes glowing intensely as she brought the syringe closer. Hypno squirmed, trying and failing to get Tango off his back, still struggling even as she jabbed the syringe into his arm.

"Goodnight Hypno. Sweet Dreams."

The anger and hopelessness in Hypno's eyes flickered, dying as his body seized up and his eyes turned glassy with pain. With a growing smile, Cleo released his arm and placed two fingers to delicately close his eyes. Standing up with Tango, looking around at her gladiators, she felt her still heart warm with pride.

"Tango, bring him to the room to rest up, we'll need him soon. Stress, be a dear, and convince our admin to restart the cycle, will you? Bdubs, clean up this mess, and you better be glad you don't end up like Ren." With a huff, Cleo left her gladiators to fix up the place, taking her rightful place on her throne, the seat a shifting black mass of a thousand baby spiders.

She closed her eyes, humming to herself, not even bothering to open them as she felt the world shift, just like it did every other time. Her fingers idly stroked the open chest by her side, sifting carefully through the many stacks of heads she'd painstakingly collected through the cycles. She would stop soon, just... once she had enough heads, once they had enough.

She didn't mind the little spiders as much as she did, many cycles ago.

The chattering of hermits prompted her to open her eyes, putting on a show of friendliness. Watched as Grian touched down gracefully in the middle of the arena, watched as Ren chatted and walked in with Iskall. They'd all reach soon, she knew, and the games would begin.

"Hello everybody, welcome to the arena!" Amidst the hermit's cheers, she grinned as she spotted Hypno and Tango walking towards the middle of the arena, joining Bdubs and Stress with their weapons in hand. Noted with a distant feeling of happiness that Hypno's eyes flashed with red, his hands gripping his fishing rod and pufferfish buckets. He would make a good gladiator and get her more heads, unlike Bdubs who had been with her the longest, who was starting to show signs of breaking out of their control.

No matter, she would replace him next.

She smiled to herself as Tango took his place in front of False and her team, knowing her losses to Tango's flames would only fuel her desire to win. To finally become her gladiator too. As if he could hear her thoughts, Tango winked at her, throwing himself straight at False amidst the spectator's cheers.

If only the hermits had paid attention, had listened out for the haunting screams below the arena. Had seen the way Cleo's eyes drooped when no one paid attention, her spider crown flickering red. Maybe then they would have realized they were in greater danger than they thought.

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the longer stories I've written already, but this also took quite a while to write, judging by how long ago Cleo's video was :")
> 
> I'm wayy too tired so I apologise if there's super bad mistakes in here haha
> 
> hope you enjoyed! :)


End file.
